ERW in the Republic of Serbia

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Volume 15 Issue 1 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 18

April 2011

Dragan Jovanović Serbian Ministry of Interior

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Recommended Citation Jovanović, Dragan (2011) "ERW in the Republic of Serbia," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 15 : Iss. 1 , Article 18. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol15/iss1/18

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jovanovi?: ERW in the Republic of Serbia

• Locations massively contaminated with UXO as a 182,000 people live in SHAs while about 90,000 live ERW in the Republic of Serbia result of intensive combat operations in WWI and close to the SHA perimeter. In addition, a large number WWII of people use SHAs at their own risk and a number of As a result of operations conducted during the Balkan Wars, World Wars and Yugoslav Wars, Serbia • Areas contaminated with anti-personnel and anti- them even use marked risk areas since many make a liv- remains affected by numerous pieces of unexploded ordnance. The author explores the magnitude of tank mines ing by farming the land. UXO contamination and reveals the extensive process by which it is removed from and destroyed with- UXO. Single items of UXO that are found acciden- In Serbia, specific methods and techniques have in southern Serbia, an area that has been plagued by explosive remnants of war for the past century. tally are those found by citizens during agriculture, been developed and used to clear cluster munitions construction or other activities. These items of UXO with positive results. Armored construction equipment also can be found in forests, junk yards and even in ur- is used in debris clearance, and demining machines by Dragan Jovanovic’ [ Serbian Ministry of Interior ] ban settings near public buildings, residential neigh- with remote controls are used effectively for the remov- borhoods, roads and schools. When UXO is found, it is al of shrubs, small trees, and other vegetation. These n the 20th century, several wars were waged on the reported to the Sector for Emergency Situations. These things not only make the land safe for civilians, but lands of the Republic of Serbia. As a consequence of pieces of UXO are removed and destroyed by the Min- they improve working conditions and increase the safe- these wars, a large presence of explosive remnants istry of Interior EOD teams. ty of EOD technicians. Iof war exists in Serbia. The marking, clearance, remov- Cluster Munitions. Unexploded cluster munitions Bombs and Missiles. An estimated 180 unexploded al and destruction of ERW presents a complex problem are found in several hundred micro-locations within 16 aerial bombs and missiles from the NATO intervention due to the various types of unexploded ordnance, which Serbian municipalities (Brus, Bujanovac, Čačak, City of have been found in more than 100 military and civil- differ in construction, size and origin. These pieces of ian sites at depths greater than 20 meters (22 yards). UXO derive from the First Balkan War (1912–13), Sec- Although a General Survey of these sites has not been ond Balkan War (1913), World War I (1914–18), World conducted, existing plans will be implemented when ad- War II (1939–45), Yugoslav Wars (1991–95) and the equate funds are provided. Available data derive from NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (1999). reports collected by EOD teams, in addition to witness Large numbers of ERW continue to be found in new interviews and statements. The completion of a General locations within Serbia, presenting an ongoing threat Survey would confirm or reject the existence of bombs to the population and the environment. When found reported in witness testimonies. in developing regions, ERW slow or halt construction. Ammunition Depots. Between 1941 and 2006 sev- In addition, farmers cannot use land for agricultural eral ammunition depots exploded. According to the development. available data, an area of about 22 square kilometers (8.5 The full extent of the ERW contamination in Serbia is square miles) at 12 sites in nine municipalities has been Preparing for destruction of UXO in Kraljevo, Serbia. unknown. A General Survey (an investigation of land- A BLU-97 bomblet submunition is found in Niš, Serbia. polluted with UXO as a result of ammunition depot ex- All photos courtesy of the author. mine locations where affected and unaffected areas are Niš–Medijana and Crveni Krst municipalities, Gadžin plosions (City of Belgrade, municipalities of Novi Pazar, catalogued) has not established the scope of the prob- Ordnance Disposal teams for civilian sites. There are Han, Knić, Kraljevo, Kuršumlija, Leposavić, Preševo, Novi Sad, Kraljevo, Požarevac, Paraćin, Smederevo, lem. A study is needed to define the contaminated areas, also several commercial companies registered that con- Raška, Sjenica, Sopot, Stara Pazova and Vladimirci). Valjevo and Vranje). With the exception of the work be- determine the types of ERW expected to be found, es- duct humanitarian demining. To determine the extent of contamination for suspect- ing currently done in the Paraćin municipality after the tablish the type and purpose of the land, determine the ed cluster munitions, a General Survey began in 2007 for 2006 explosions, clearance has not yet been conducted social and economic consequences, and identify clear- Extent of ERW in Serbia those areas suspected of being contaminated with cluster in these areas. ance priorities, available resources and incident statis- Based on the type of ERW, period of occurrence and munitions. Each suspected hazardous area is assigned a Wars. In areas where intensive war operations, such tics. the degree of danger to the population, ERW problems risk level, areas are marked and each SHA that requires as Kolubarska Battle and Cerska Battle of WWI and the All activities related to the clearance and removal of are classified as one of the following categories: further processing is estimated. So far, it has been deter- Battle for the Liberation of Belgrade of WWI, as well ERW in Serbia are planned, implemented, controlled • Single items of UXO that are found accidentally mined that cluster munitions are located in 260 high-risk as sites that contained the front lines, there are large and verified in accordance with international standards, • Areas contaminated with cluster munitions from the micro-locations, totaling an area of 14.32 square kilo- quantities of unexploded and abandoned explosive Serbia’s legislation, and lessons learned from neighbor- period of NATO intervention meters (5.53 square miles). In addition, 144 suspicious ordnance. Five of these sites are located in the munic- ing countries, while maintaining the unique differences • Unexploded aerial bombs and missiles from NATO micro-locations were identified, comprising 8.4 square ipalities of Doljevac, Kragujevac, Loznica, Obrenovac of Serbia in mind. intervention and WWII kilometers (3.2 square miles). These locations are sub- and Mitrovica Sremska. In the past, no General Survey Operational capacities for clearance and removal of • Areas contaminated as a result of accidental detona- ject to an additional survey, proposed to be carried out had evaluated these sites and available data had been ERW in Serbia involve specialized teams of the Serbian tion of ammunition depots stemming from the peri- in 2011. collected on the basis of interviews and statements Armed Forces for military locations and the Ministry ods of WWII, the NATO intervention and after the Serbia estimates that the area to be cleared is approx- from the witnesses. According to a 2006 survey of the of Interior–Sector for Emergency Situations Explosive NATO intervention imately 17 square kilometers. (6.6 square miles). About Đerdapska klisura (Iron Gates of the Danube River),

moval on a daily basis. From 2006 to 2010, EOD teams to the Convention on the Prohibi- performed more than 1,600 UXO spot tasks, removing tion of the Use, Stockpiling, Produc- and destroying more than 10,000 items of UXO, 800 ki- tion and Transfer of Anti-personnel lograms (1,760 pounds) of explosives, 120,000 pieces of Mines and their Destruction (also pyrotechnic devices and 8,000 other ERW. During this known as the Anti-personnel Mine period, EOD teams were in the field for more than 700 Ban Convention of APMBC) Ser- days and cleared more than 500,000 square kilometers bia is working to clear its remain- (310,686 square miles). ing landmines by 1 March 2014. In Cluster Munitions. During and immediately after May 2007, Serbia’s stockpiles were

the NATO intervention, specialized teams of the Ser- An MK-83 is found in Sabac, Serbia. destroyed. The country is no longer bian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior con- a producer of AP mines. ducted a visual examination, removal and destruction of thousands of unexploded cluster munitions in most tion, removal, transportation and provement of relations between the Conclusion of the contaminated areas. This fast action contributed destruction of 19 unexploded aerial people of Serbia and Croatia. The removal of ERW will create to human security and significantly reduced the number bombs that remained from WWII. The last minefields to contain the conditions for increased human AP and AT mines and UXO are found in the municipality of victims, especially civilians. This surface clearance, Thus far, an area of about 3.9 square AP and AT mines, which were laid security, environmental protection, of Šid, Serbia. conducted without the use of metal detectors, did not kilometers (1.5 square miles) of the in the border area with Croatia in agricultural production, forest usage, near the Prahovo port, 22 sunken warships were found, remove or destroy cluster munitions that had penetrat- river Danube in Novi Sad munici- the 1990s, were removed in No- drainage-channel maintenance, re- at least four of which contained UXO, presenting an ed the ground. Additional clearance will be carried out pality and Beška community and on vember 2009. A total of 6.2 square construction and construction of ongoing danger to people, ships and the environment. as personnel, material and financial resources become the Sava River in Ostružnica com- kilometers (2.4 square miles) have tourist and industrial buildings. Landmines. In the 1990s, most AP and AT mines available. munity were cleared. Seven aerial been demined and the northern Without the help of the interna- were placed along the border with Croatia, in the north- By the end of 2009, in accordance with international bombs weighing from 250 to 1000 part of Serbia has been cleared of tional community and donors, Serbia ern part of Serbia in the villages of Jamena and Morović, standards, cluster munitions in Serbia were cleared from kilograms (551 to 2,205 pounds) mines. These activities were execut- cannot resolve the numerous prob- within the municipality of Šid. These mines contaminat- an area of 4.3 square kilometers (1.7 square miles). Dur- were found and removed. ed through 44 demining projects lems related to full clearance by its ed more than six square kilometers (2.3 square miles). ing 2009 and 2010, six cluster-munitions-clearance proj- Ammunition Depot Detonation. from 2003 to 2009. The clearance APMBC deadline In this region of Serbia, forests are old and the soil is ects were executed and an area of 0.93 square kilometer Following the ammunition depot teams found and destroyed 5,139 fertile. These landmines obstruct agricultural develop- (0.36 square mile) was cleared. detonation on the territory of Paraćin mines and items of UXO (3,997 AP ment and the free movement of the population, and re- In the period after NATO intervention, specialized municipality in 2006, specialized SAF mines, 842 AT mines and 300 piec- duce the effectiveness of border police. teams of the SAF cleared several military micro-locations, teams conducted a visual examina- es of UXO). The agricultural land The presence of landmines and improvised explosive totaling an area of more than 1.2 square kilometers (0.46 tion of about 8 square kilometers from which mines were removed devices was discovered in late 2009 in the municipal- square mile) and removed and destroyed more than 500 (3.1 square miles) of the contaminat- has been returned to the owners ities of Bujanovac, Kuršumlija, Medveđa and Preševo, cluster munitions that had penetrated the ground to a ed area and removed and destroyed and is in use. Local roads, drainage in the southern part of Serbia, along the administra- depth of more than 50 centimeters (20 inches). These more than 130,000 pieces of UXO channels and the low-voltage elec- tive line with Kosovo and Metohija. Survey prepa- cleared micro-locations are the military airports of from the surface. In 2009 and 2010, tricity transmission network have Dragan Jovanovic’, MSc, is currently full clearance was carried out on improved. In addition, the police Chief of Section for Planning and rations for this area have begun. The mine-affected Batajnica, Lađevci and Niš. Significant reconstruction Quality Control and EOD Manager in the area of the Bujanovac municipality covers about one took place following clearance. Industrial buildings and an area of about 1.8 square kilome- can now more efficiently monitor Sector for Emergency Situations within ters (0.7 square mile) through three the border, thereby preventing ille- Serbia’s Ministry of Interior. Following square kilometer (0.4 square mile). A General Survey in a hospital were repaired, residential buildings were built, the NATO intervention, he worked as an Kuršumlija, Medveđa and Preševo municipalities has lifts to transport skiers were reconstructed, a ski resort clearance projects. More than 1,500 gal migration and other criminal ac- EOD Team Leader and EOD Manager in the Ministry of Defence at Batajnica Air- not been completed, but the mine-affected area is esti- was built and the civilian part of the airport in Niš was items of UXO were found and de- tivities, including human trafficking. port. He has extensive field experience mated to be 1.5 square kilometers (0.6 square mile). reconstructed. stroyed, including ammunition and The minefields in the south- in cluster munitions and UXO clearance and aerial-bomb defuzing and disposal. Unexploded Aerial Bombs and Missiles. Specialized German bombs from WWII. This ern part of Serbia have not yet been Clearance Operations Progress teams of the SAF and the Ministry of Interior, in the peri- work will continue in 2011 and 2012. cleared. Along with the interna- Dragan Jovanovic’, MSc Chief of Section for Planning The prioritization of ERW removal is decided ac- od after NATO intervention, conducted a survey, assess- Clearance. In addition to security, tional community, donors will be and Quality Control environmental and economic issues, asked for assistance in mine clear- EOD Manager cording to the level of risk to the population. ment, excavation, deactivation, removal, transportation Ministry of Interior UXO Threat. UXO that is found accidentally repre- and destruction of more than 120 unexploded aerial demining in the Croatia–Serbia bor- ance when appropriate projects are Sector for Emergency Situations der area is especially important since developed. Upon completion, it Kneza Milosa 101 sents a constant threat to civilians, especially children. bombs and missiles dropped during the NATO interven- Belgrade 11 000 / Serbia To protect the population from this threat, the Ministry tion on 53 military and civilian locations. In addition, clearance contributes to the further will be possible to declare Serbia Tel: +381 64 8929 463 E-mail: [email protected] of Interior EOD teams perform explosive ordnance re- Ministry of Interior EOD teams performed deactiva- strengthening of trust and the im- cleared of mines. As a signatory